Although environmental issues are commonly known as a global problem, that isn’t necessarily true. Today especially, low-income communities are more likely to experience the effects of our deteriorating environmental infrastructure. As climate change is exacerbated, so are the effects of pollution and other dangers. The effects of climate change are not experienced by these communities by choice, but these struggles are faced because of long term disparity that has not been addressed or identified for decades.
For instance, problems such as access to green technology and unpolluted air are limited for people living in impoverished conditions. Wealthier areas often have more infrastructure such as parks, trees, and green technology which are all strong mitigating factors to keeping a healthy local environment for residents. Also, many areas facing economic struggle experience extreme weather conditions. For example, the urban heat island effect is experienced in areas with less structural balance. This is when weather fluctuates to cold or warm temperatures where cement and buildings trap heat while there is a lack of technology to regulate temperature. Additionally, in areas that lack key organisms such as trees, natural landscape, and bodies of water, these items are replaced with heat-absorbing asphalt and concrete.
One of the most predominant disparities is the locations of industrialism which disproportionately distribute pollution. Across the country, landfills, powerplants, and refineries are more likely to be in the proximity of low income communities. Take West Oakland for example: residents that live near the Port of Oakland, various warehouses, or major freeways are exposed to constant carbon dioxide emissions. In these areas, there are higher rates of lung disease and asthma because of ongoing issues.
Environmental hazards are prominent in communities already facing social issues. A recent study by the University of Tennessee demonstrated that vulnerable populations are far more likely to face multiple concurrent hazards simultaneously. The study was conducted from data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and their own critical data, which found that 11 percent of the United States is at extremely high risk of facing overlapping natural disasters such as flooding, drought, and wildfires. Clean water shortage is another major issue that is not frequently addressed in many communities. In the Bay Area, communities such as those in East Palo Alto have faced the effects of contaminated runoff water flowing into waterways and the bay. This is yet another effect of being located near and exposed to landfills, and the increasing pollutants in water.
As climate change continues to worsen, so will these problems, but at this point the most important course of action that must be taken is public pressure, holding decisionmakers accountable, and living a lifestyle that mitigates environmental harm. Environmental inequality is not caused by an accident. It has evolved into the question of whose health and wellbeing is prioritized. Until there are greater solutions that include communities that face the most harm, climate change will be more of an inequitable issue rather than a collective battle.